Minneapolis, Minnesota - The Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival is pleased to announce that they have engaged the Baltimore Consort for a July 6, 2003 guest artist concert and July 7, 2003 Academy-wide workshop.

Open to the public, the concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 612-879-9555 or 1-888-635-6583. Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.

With their variety of instruments and the unique singing of Custer La Rue, the Baltimore Consort has delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and earned their CDs a place on the Billboard Magazine Top-Ten list. The Baltimore Consort's arrangements of early music from England, Scotland, and France speak to the heart as well as the mind, and their love for the early music of English/Scottish heritage has led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional balladry and dance tunes preserved in the Appalachian Mountains and Nova Scotia.

The Consort tours all regions of the USA, has also appeared frequently in Europe, and has held residencies at the Walters Art Gallery and the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Its performances on such syndicated radio programs as Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, Millennium of Music, Harmonia, and Onstage (CBC) have broadcast its music far and wide.

The 2003 season marks the Baltimore Consort's first appearance at the Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival.

The Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival features an outstanding faculty of artists and teachers who guide gifted high school and college students from around the country through a month of intensive musical study and performance. Open to students of all faiths, the Academy & Festival is committed to strengthening and expanding the Lutheran heritage of excellence in music.

For more information about the Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival, including application materials and/or a complete concert schedule, contact our office at 612-879-9555 or 1-888-635-6583 (toll-free) or visit our web site at www.LutheranSummerMusic.org